Do you agree that focusing our technology research to serve selected value chains can provide an appropriate guide to the CGIAR’s global research agenda, both for short-term adaptive and longer-term basic research? Are there risks associated with this approach?

The major risk is still that the research is too adaptive, not international public good oriented enough, and will not really contribute to longer term basic research. This is corroborated by the previous doubts on the representativity of value chains and constraints on a broader scale.

I am not sure whether basic research is being equated with ‘blue-skies’ research in one of the other questions, but in UK both terms imply free thinking outwith the constraints of specific value chains. The potential lies at the interface between the basic research and the adaptive research (both are needed along with strategic research) but I don’t consider that the proposed approach should be setting the agenda for any basic research.

Focusing on our technology research to serve seleced value chain is not enough for guiding global research agenda. more broder issues including social economic and traditional culture context should be considerd